Pope resigns: In Benedict's home town dismay but also acceptance of his decision

The Telegraph's Damien McElroy reports from the region where Pope Benedict grew up and where he is still fondly remembered

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger never forgot his roots in the hillsides of northern Bavaria.

On his first visit back to his homeland after he was named the 264th successor to St Peter,Pope Benedict XVI declared a "Bavarian heart" still beats in his breast.

Yesterday it emerged that it was to this home region that he turned to confide his greatest secret – his intention to resign.

Pope Benedict told his closest confidante, Georg, his 89 year old brother, that he was planning to quit.

"I was privy to the decision," Father Georg, who is a priest, told visitors to his medieval home yesterday in the cloisters of the old city. "He has done his best. He faced a difficult time when there were many daunting divisions and opposition to the Catholic Church. He always kept the conversation positive and gave hope to people of faith. He was a beneficial leader."

By nightfall those closest to Fr Georg had thrown a protective shield around him. But many expressed their surprise at the decision.

Frau Agnes Heindl, his housekeeper of more than 20 years, said she was shocked and thought the news to be "completely impossible" when she first heard it.

Another priest at the diocesan house round the corner said that Fr Georg, who is almost blind and ailing, was fatigued by a momentous day. He said: "He is resting. Today has been a big shock."

Like the world at large, residents of the city were also caught off guard by the sudden announcement.

"No. This is impossible. He was loved here," said Christine Fleischman, 60, a housewife waiting for the bus to return home. We all wish him well."

Others said that after such a long career they could not begrudge the Pope the freedom to walk away from the burden of the papacy.

"It is a modern decision that may be very surprising but it is a very human decision," said Michael Reisz, 49, a marketing executive. "Why should he be trapped in his job as he gets older and sicker. It is this quality that we remember. People here remember his wisdom as a professor and human qualities as a priest."

Among the younger generation in the town, there were those who took issue with the Pope's reputation as a rigid ideologue though. One student walking in the town centre last night said she hoped the church would adapt more readily to social change under the Pope's successor.

"I don't like his position on issues that face my generation like abortion and using condoms," said Katherine Mayer, 27. "I hope the new pope is younger and provides some new inspiration to us."

Horst Seehofer, the prime minister of Bavaria, meanwhile said the decision would be respected but regretted by locals.

"With his charisma and his tireless work for the good of the Church, the Pope from Bavaria has inspired people all over the world," he said.